Specter Progenitor clenched his fists. He had no choice in this matter, as if he was unable to uncover the truth, he would never be able to return.
Suddenly, the man thought of something, and his eyes fell onto Lu Yin's back. Could it have been this youth?
"Given the current situation, the four ruling powers are well within their rights to attack you. Neither I nor anyone else can protect you," Lu Yin stated.
Specter Progenitor frowned. Lu Yin should not have been the one to leak the techniques from Specter Abyss. After all, this youth wanted to use Specter Progenitor to maintain the balance of power against the four ruling powers. Lu Yin would not benefit from leaking the four ruling powers’ techniques. "I don't need protection, I merely hope that Dao Monarch Lu can provide me with a place to hide."
Lu Yin thought for a moment before saying, "I actually do have a place. Let's go."
Specter Progenitor heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Dao Monarch Lu."
Lu Yin looked back. "Senior, you should already understand how I work. I expect a reward for my efforts."
Specter Progenitor answered firmly, "As long as I am able to survive this ordeal, I am willing to offer you one trillion star essence, Dao Monarch Lu."
Lu Yin smiled. One trillion was a decent amount, especially considering how the people of Specter Abyss did not cultivate with star energy or stellular energy. Star essence was an unnecessary resource for them. Still, Lu Yin replied, "I want half of Specter Abyss."
Specter Progenitor assumed he must have heard wrong. "What did you say?"
Lu Yin looked at the man with a completely serious expression and repeated, "I want half of Specter Abyss."
"Lu Xiaoxuan, have you gone mad?" Even in his current situation, Specter Progenitor could not stop himself from cursing. "Half of Specter Abyss? Why don't you ask for the whole thing?"
"That works too."
Specter Progenitor was rendered speechless. "Lu Xiaoxuan, you must know that you’re asking me for the impossible! I can promise you that if you help me get through this, I will find you five trillion star essence, even if I must steal or rob to get it. That should be more than enough to show my sincerity. Not even the four ruling powers would find it easy to produce such a sum. Besides, in the future, I will also definitely stand with you against the four ruling powers. Don't forget—when you posed as Long Qi and were caught at the Cloud Shuttle in the Higher Realm, people from Specter Abyss risked their lives to save you and covered for you."
Lu Yin replied, "I will absolutely repay that debt myself, but I also haven't forgotten about what happened when I was fighting Nutjob Lu. You refused to allow me to use Specter Abyss's death energy and even cursed me for it. You clearly hold a grudge against me."
"But that didn't stop you from using that death energy! Death energy is the very foundation of Specter Abyss. If you use all of it, what will happen to my Specter Abyss?" Specter Progenitor started to grow anxious. This guy was completely unreasonable.
"So there’s no room for negotiation?"
"Absolutely not," Specter Progenitor replied resolutely.
"Then what about a trade?"
Specter Progenitor was taken aback. "What would you propose to trade for Specter Abyss?"
"This Aeternus Nation was here in the Fifth Mainland, and it’s filled with death energy. I can offer you that for half of Specter Abyss," Lu Yin explained.
Specter Progenitor felt quite puzzled. "Where did Aeternus get death energy?"
"Many things have happened in this part of the universe, and in order to survive, the Specter Clan joined forces with Aeternus and later on used death energy to transform humans into corpse kings. They even tried to create more powerful corpse kings that would be capable of wielding the power of the God of Death," Lu Yin explained.
Specter Progenitor instantly became furious. "They actually colluded with Aeternus! The Specter Clan in this Fifth Mainland are nothing but traitors! All of them are Redbacks!"
Lu Yin replied, "I’ve already taken control of them, and their patriarch has since become one of my champions. However, there’s no denying that the death energy left in the Aeternus Nation is real. I once used it to threaten Bai Wangyuan. So, do we have a deal?"
Specter Progenitor remained adamant. "No. Specter Abyss is Specter Abyss. I cannot trade it with you for anything."
"But Specter Abyss might already have been destroyed by the four ruling powers," Lu Yin warned.
That comment caused Specter Progenitor's expression to change. Lu Yin certainly was not wrong. Specter Progenitor had no idea what fate might have befallen Specter Abyss after he fled. If Specter Abyss was truly destroyed by the four ruling powers, then Lu Yin's offer could be regarded as an extension of an olive branch. This thought caused Specter Progenitor’s expression to relax a bit. "Take me to this Aeternus Nation to have a look."
Lu Yin rode atop the jiao with Specter Progenitor as they made their way towards the Neoverse.
With the jiao's speed, they quickly arrived in the Neoverse.
Lu Yin sensed the coordinates of the parallel universe with the coordinate seal. It was still located at the foundation of Aeternus Nation. He had left a bit of death energy in it, and that allowed him to sense the location of Aeternus Nation from among the many parallel universes.
Lu Yin opened a rift to Aeternus Nation. "Please."
Specter Progenitor stared at the spatial rift. "This is a parallel universe, not a pocket dimension."
Lu Yin nodded. "That’s right. Aeternus left behind an unoccupied parallel universe."
Specter Progenitor frowned while thinking of what had happened to Xia Shenji. He then gave Lu Yin a dubious look. What was this youth planning this time?
Lu Yin asked, "Why aren't you going in? Senior, are you worried that I’ll exile you like I did to Xia Shenji? That wouldn’t do me any good. You are a powerhouse who’s key to maintaining the current balance of power. If I exile you, how will I restrain the four ruling powers?"
Specter Progenitor stared at the rift, still hesitant and unwilling to go in it.
No one was willing to place their life in the hands of another, and with the recent example of Xia Shenji fresh in his memory, Specter Progenitor was even more reluctant than normal.
Lu Yin continued, "If you don’t want to go in, then please feel free to do whatever you wish, Senior."
Specter Progenitor asked, "Isn't there anywhere else?"
"No, there isn't. Wait, there is one place." Lu Yin paused. "The Astral Wilderness."
Specter Progenitor's expression darkened further. The Astral Wilderness was not a good place. For ordinary cultivators, it was an unknown region that they could explore, exploit, or use to escape. However, for true powerhouses, things were not nearly so simple.
The stronger the cultivator, the less willing they would be to venture into the Astral Wilderness.
It was like how dropping a small stone into a pond would only create a few ripples at most. However, if a boulder was dropped in, massive waves would appear.
If a Progenitor entered the Astral Wilderness, it would be no different from a boulder falling into a pond. No one knew what sort of unintended consequences might occur.
The stronger the individual was, the more dangerous the Astral Wilderness would be for them. There were even many unexplored regions of outer space around the Perennial World where few or no humans had ever set foot.
Suddenly, both Lu Yin and the Specter Progenitor looked to the west.
"They sure got here quickly. They must be in a hurry," Lu Yin said.
Specter Progenitor's expression fell completely. "Dao Monarch Lu, if I die, you won't be able to gain any advantage against the four ruling powers."
"I still have Arch-Elder Zen and my senior brother. Right, I must have forgotten to mention that several of the Semi-Progenitors from the Heavens Sect era are also about to have their own breakthroughs. I expect that one or two of them will even be successful, and that should give me a bit of an advantage when facing off against the four ruling powers," Lu Yin replied.